This page is optimized for smartphone display in Landscape Mode
Bibliology vs. Theology: What is the difference? Updated 1/1/2022
Bibliology, according to the opinions of almost everyone I can find, is the study of what the Bible is and what it says about itself.
Note: The outlines referenced in this page need to be updated to the 7th Edition. But these serve their purpose well enough to make the point. The 7th Edition format is far more detailed than the one seen here.
A good example of this is found in the following outline taken from a web article on Bible.org on the subject "Bibliology - The Doctrine of the Written Word" by J. Hampton Keathley, III.
Introduction to Bibliology
Terms Used for the Bible
Attitudes or Viewpoints Toward the Bible
The Bible: The Written Word of God
The Bible: The Inspired Revelation of God
The Bible: The Inerrant Word of God
The Bible: The Holy Canon of Scripture
The Bible: Understanding Its Message
The Bible: Alive and Powerful (Animation)
Concluding Thoughts on Bibliology
Now friends, I don't disagree with much that this author had to say about the Bible, if anything. But I believe that Bibliology is much more than simply examining what the Bible "is", and what it says about itself. That is all good information, and things that every Believer should know; but in my opinion, it is not true Bibliology. If anything, it is just barely skimming the surface of true Bibliology, because it doesn't really tell you what the Bible actually says about itself.
It is kind of like saying, "The President of the United States is a human being"; and then assuming that this is all that we need to know about this person before electing him. Anyone with experience in our political system would understand that we need to know far more about this person before we will trust him/her with our votes to assume the leadership of the most powerful nation on earth. We need to know whether he/she is trustworthy, honest, upholds the basic values that most of us hold dear: free enterprise; life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; the value of human life, and so on.
If you really want to know what the Bible says about itself, you must examine and study each Book individually, to learn:
The subject matter of the Book (the Theme)
The true outline of the text within the Book, based upon the actual organization of the text itself, not one that is derived from the analyst's personal understanding, which may be, and probably is, flawed
The themes of the true outline
Now I want to be fair here: Bible.org has posted many studies of individual Bible books which are quite valuable and enlightening, as far as they go. However, their outlines of each Book are not based upon the true format of the Bible, which is based upon the Golden Ratio; therefore, studying the Bible using their material will only result in frustration and more confusion about what the Bible really teaches.
I will use some of the material from Bible.org as an example of what it is wrong with Biblical scholarship today, and since Bible.org (as far as I can tell) represents an "Evangelical" (soft Fundamentalist) perspective (since some of its posters were educated at Dallas Theological Seminary [an Evangelical institution]), I think it is typical of what you will hear and read from most Bible-believing pastors/teachers/college professors. Evangelicals and Fundamentalists (usually, but not always) share similar Biblical views on core theological doctrines. There is much disagreement on other issues, which I don't want to get into here.
The following text was copied from the introduction to Matthew from Bible.org:
A: "Until the time of the Renaissance/Reformation the Gospel of Matthew was thought to have been the first Gospel written (and still is by the Roman Catholic church)."
B: "It was the most copied, most quoted, most used Gospel in catechism and in the early liturgy by the church for the first two centuries.
C: "William Barclay in The First Three Gospels , p. 19, said “When we turn to Matthew, we turn to the book which may well be called the most important single document of the Christian faith, for in it we have the fullest and the most systematic account of the life and the teachings of Jesus.”
D: "This is because it developed the teachings of Jesus in a thematic way. It was used to teach new converts (both Jew and Gentile) about the life and message of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ.
E: "It forms a logical bridge between the Old and New Covenants, between Jewish believers and Gentile believers. It used the Old Testament in a promise/fulfillment format as did the early sermons of Acts which are called the kerygma . The Old Testament is quoted over fifty times and alluded to many more. Also, many of the titles and analogies used of YHWH are applied to Jesus.
F: "Therefore, the purposes of The Gospel According to Matthew were evangelism and discipleship, the twin aspects of the Great Commission (28:19-20).
1. They were to help convert Jews by informing them of Jesus’ life and teachings,
2. They were to disciple both believing Jews and Gentiles into how they should live as Christians.
Now friends, let me offer a critique of this introduction to Matthew: Have you really learned anything about the Gospel of Matthew after having read this? Have you learned anything about the central theme of Mathew? My answer is "very little".
What is correct: A, B, F(1).
What is partially correct: D.
What is false or simply confusing information: C, D, E and F(2).
I agree with A and B, but does it really provide any insight into Matthew itself? No. I don't really care what the Catholic religion did with or thinks about the Book of Matthew. It is a false religion and is not worthy of study, except what God says about it in Revelation 17.
C is just plain wrong: it is not the single most important document of the Christian faith: there is no one "most important document of the Christian faith"; all of the Bible is "the most important document of the Christian faith". Ascribing that importance to a single document in the Bible goes much too far and distorts the Bible. And Matthew is not the "fullest and most systematic account of the life and teachings of Jesus": Luke fits that description, because it is much more detailed and full of stories and parables; but Matthew, much less so.
E: Matthew does form a logical bridge between the Old and New Covenants, but there is no such thing as an Old and New "Testament": the Golden Ratio format, which is from God, proves that this is a false concept. The rest of D is true as far as it goes.
F (main): This statement about the purposes of Matthew is just plain wrong: the Golden Ratio theme for Matthew proves that. While it is true that the Great Commission is found at the very end of the Gospel, it is an error to focus on that as the purpose, when there are ten Chapters of Matthew that contradict it. In fact, every Gospel except John has some form of the Great Commission at its end; so would that mean that we should also reinterpret each Book in the light of that? That makes no sense. The theme of a Book is determined by the entire content of the Book, not a few sentences at the end.
F.1: True, Matthew is aimed directly at the Jewish people, and was clearly written to help convert Jews to faith in Christ.
F.2: Only partially true: Matthew is a record of the Jew's Messiah (Jesus) speaking to the Jews as Believers under the Old Covenant, not as Christians under the New Covenant. The Sermon on the Mount is Jesus speaking to the Jews, and teaching THEM how to live as God truly wanted them to live under the Old Covenant. The New Covenant was not yet in force, and sacrificial offerings in the Temple in Jerusalem were still honored by God (Matthew 5:23-24; 23:16-21), until the veil of the Temple was torn in two pieces when Jesus died on the cross and did away with the Old Covenant completely. Trying to interpret the Gospel of Matthew without also taking this context into account leads to false interpretations and a warped theology.
This kind of warped interpretation is a major problem with Covenant Theology, which most Protestants and the Catholic Religion advocate, because it forces an interpretation upon the Scriptures, rather than allowing the Scriptures to speak for themselves.
Now let's examine an outline of Matthew from Daniel B. Wallace, from Bible.org (sub-points omitted to make it easier to follow).
III. Outline
I. The Incarnation and Preparation of the King (1:1–4:11)
A. The Incarnation of the King (1:1–2:23)
B. The Preparation of the King (3:1–4:11)
II. The Declaration of the Principles of the King (4:12–7:29)
A. The King’s Ministry Begun (4:12-25)
B. The King’s Message Declared (5:1–7:29)
III. The Commission of the Messengers of the King (8:1–11:1)
A. The Power of the King Demonstrated (8:1–9:34)
B. The Proclamation of the King Delegated (9:35–11:1)
IV. The Opposition to the King (11:2–13:53)
A. The Antagonism of the Jews (11:2–12:50)
B. The Parables of Jesus (13:1-53)
V. The Reaction of the King (13:54–19:2)
A. The Withdrawals from the Antagonists because of Rejection (13:54–16:20)
B. The Return to Judea in spite of Rejection (16:21–19:2)
VI. The Presentation and Rejection of the King (19:3–26:1)
A. The Instruction of the Disciples in Judea (19:3–20:34)
B. The Presentation of the King (21:1-17)
C. The Rejection of the King by the Nation (21:18–22:46)
D. The Rejection of the Nation by the King (23:1-39)
E. The Predictions of the King concerning the Judgment of the Nation and the Consummation of the Kingdom (24:1–26:1)
Now I want to say before proceeding any further, that I greatly respect Dr. Wallace, and his ability with the Scriptures. He has a Ph.D. from Dallas Theological Seminary, has authored a standard textbook on Biblical Greek, and currently is a professor of "New Testament Studies" at his Alma Mater. My purpose here is not to put him down, humiliate him, or denigrate him in any way.
I have used his outline of Matthew merely as an illustration of how poorly understood the Bible in general is among even the most eminent Bible scholars, such as Dr. Wallace. The reason for the haphazardness and lack of any real information in this outline of Matthew is because Dr. Wallace was using either the King James Version or some other modern Bible versions that follow the false Old and New Testament format, along with the "chopped-up" format of Chapters and Verses that other Bible versions have inherited from the Robert Stephanus Chapter and Verse system.
The Stephanus Chapter and Verse system of organizing (or rather, disorganizing) the Bible makes it almost impossible to discern the true "flow" and "movement" of Scripture, even by such eminent and capable theologians as Dr. Wallace. It places a "grid" of confusing and false organization of the Bible text over the Bible, so that interpreters feel compelled to follow it, and try to interpret the Bible using it in spite of its obvious shortcomings.
Therefore, the reason for the poor outline of Matthew from Dr. Wallace has nothing to do with how smart or capable he is with the Scriptures, because I have read his textbook on Greek, and believe me, he has probably forgotten more about Greek than I will ever know! He is probably one of the best there is on that subject, and on the subject matter that he has been teaching for a number of years. Nonetheless, even Dr. Wallace wasn't able to correctly discern the true outline for Matthew, because of the Stephanus format "grid" which blocks a clear view of the Scriptures, and forced him to come up with the best outline that he could, which is not much different than other outlines of Matthew that you could find from other Bible scholars.
I want to emphasize here that I am not picking on Dr. Wallace! I am merely using him as an example of what you will find with other Bible scholars of all Evangelical or Fundamental stripes. I'm sure that he is a wonderful Christian, and loves the Lord. But we can learn much by studying his material, and comparing it with the Golden Ratio format, which is why I am doing this.
One other shortcoming of Wallace's outline that I would like to note is this: each outline point just makes a statement: "The Incarnation of the King", "The Crucifixion of the King" etc. But these kind of statements do not provide any real information or interpretation of Matthew itself. For example, VI.E. (see above) says, "The Predictions of the King concerning the Judgment of the Nation and the Consummation of the Kingdom". But what are those predictions? Here is his sub-outline for that point:
E. The Predictions of the King concerning the Judgment of the Nation and the Consummation of the Kingdom (24:1–26:1)
1. The Setting in the Temple (24:1-2)
2. The Discourse on the Mount of Olives (24:3–25:46)
a. Signs of the End of the Age (24:3-35)
b. The Day and Hour Unknown (24:36-51)
c. The Parable of the Ten Virgins (25:1-13)
d. The Parable of the Talents (25:14-30)
e. The Sheep and the Goats (25:31-46)
3. The Conclusion of the Olivet Discourse (26:1)
In short, Dr. Wallace provides no information in this outline about what the predictions are, or what they mean in the context of the Bible. To be completely fair, in the "argument" section of the webpage, Dr. Wallace does fill out his outline with comments about the content. Here are his remarks about the short section from Matthew 24:1-26:1:
"The ultimate proof that the nation had been rejected by God would, of course, be the demise of its religious infrastructure. Thus Jesus led his disciples out of the temple—in symbolic rejection of it (24:1-2)—and brought them to the Mount of Olives (24:3). There he revealed not only signs of the end of the Jewish cult (24:2, 15), but also of the consummation of the kingdom as seen in the king’s return in glory (24:26-45). Speaking as a human prophet—rather than as the omniscient God (24:36)—Jesus not only did not know when his own return would be. He also did not know that the (initial) destruction of Jerusalem would take place at least two thousand years before his return. One thing is for sure: Jesus saw the fulfillment of the Olivet Discourse, in some sense, taking place within a few years (24:34).
The Olivet Discourse then concludes with three analogies—all of which are designed to strengthen the disciples’ resolve for perseverance and preparedness. (25:1-46). The parable of the ten virgins addresses preparedness (25:1-13), the parable of the talents addresses faithfulness and perseverance (25:14-30), and the analogy of the sheep and goats addresses judgment and reward at the end of the age (25:31-46).
The Olivet Discourse concludes with the now familiar refrain, “When Jesus had finished saying all these things” (26:1). Thus ends the final major discourse of the king."
Some of his remarks I cannot agree with, such as the comment that Jesus "did not know that the initial destruction of Jerusalem would take place at least two thousand years before his return." On what basis does he draw this conclusion? Jesus was Jehovah God, walking in a Temple of flesh; therefore He did know that Jerusalem would be destroyed in 70 AD.
In his human condition (he set aside the independent exercise of his Divine attributes for the purpose of becoming a perfect Man, so that He would be able to die for the sins of all mankind), He "did not know", but as God, He certainly did know. This is all very difficult theology, so we need to be careful to make statements that are fully consistent with the written Word of God and not go beyond it on our own authority. I think that Dr. Wallace erred slightly with this statement.
If all that you knew about the Bible was the outlines provided to you by the Golden Ratio format outlines, you would have a good starting point to analyze the text on your own, even if you had no formal training in the Bible. I'm not saying that formal training isn't a good thing: it is, and I believe in it; I've earned my own Bachelor's and Master's degrees from an excellent Bible college and Seminary. All I'm saying that we need more than just formal training: we need a Bible version which is accurately organized and formatted with the true Themes of each Scripture division, so that we can see, at a glance, what the Bible really teaches; and the Golden Ratio Format provides that.
Most Believers are forced to rely upon what someone else tells them about the Bible, and they never really know for themselves whether it is true or not; and that is a necessary thing in most cases, since most people don't have time to really dig into the Scriptures and learn it in a systematic way. The Golden Ratio Format provides all Believers with the tools to see the Bible as it really is, and understand the Bible apart from their "interpreter". It gives the people of God something that they don't have now, and I believe is desperately needed.
Below is shown the Golden Ratio design of Matthew from the Kingdom Study Bible, down to the Paragraph Level. The part in red text is the same part of Matthew that I just covered above with Dr. Wallace' outline.
C Book 4.1: The Gospel of Jesus Christ explained for Old Covenant Jews (Matthew)
C Part 1: The Son of David presented himself to the Old Covenant Jews as their King and Messiah
U Chapter 1.1: The Son of David fulfilled the Old Covenant prophecies of his Virgin Birth and Lineage
§U Introduction: The Messianic Genealogy of Jesus Christ (1:1 - 17)
¶O From Abraham to Solomon (1:1 - 6)
¶O From Solomon to Jesus the Christ (1:7 - 17)
§C Body: The Virgin Birth and early life of Jesus the Christ (1:18 - 2:23)
¶U The Virgin Birth of Christ fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah (1:18 - 25)
¶C The wise men of Babylon came to Jerusalem, asking about the King of the Jews (1:18 - 25)
¶C The wise men of Babylon were led to Jesus the Christ by the star in the East (2:9 - 12)
¶O The angel of the Lord directed Joseph to flee into Egypt to escape the wrath of Herod, fulfilling the written prophecies of Hosea and Jeremiah (2:13 - 18)
¶O Joseph returned to Israel and dwelt in Nazareth after Herod was dead, fulfilling the spoken word of the prophets (2:19 - 23)
§C Conclusion: John the Baptist commissioned the ministry of Jesus the Christ with his Baptism in the Jordan river (2:19 - 23)
¶C John led Israel in a great revival with his baptism of repentance (3:1 - 12)
¶C John baptized Jesus, who then endured a great trial of fasting and temptation from Satan (3:1 - 12)
C Chapter 1.2: The Son of David fulfilled the Old Covenant prophecies of the Messiah with a sermon (4:11 - 7:29)
§U Introduction: Jesus the Christ began his ministry to Israel (4:11 - 5:1)
¶O Jesus went to Capernaum, and called four men to follow him as his disciples (4:11 - 22)
¶O Jesus sat down on top of a mountain to preach to a great multitude of people from all over Israel (4:23 - 5:1)
§C Body: The internal righteousness of the children of the Kingdom of Heaven (5:2 - 6:34)
¶O The children of the Kingdom of Heaven are blessed (5:2 - 16)
¶O Jesus came to fulfill the Law and expects the children of his Kingdom to obey and teach it as well (5:17 - 20)
¶C Be internally righteous as well as externally obedient to the Law (5:21 - 42)
¶C Do your charity, prayers, and fasting as unto God and not for the external praise of men (5:43 - 6:18)
¶U Seek the Kingdom of God first internally, and all external needs will be added to you (6:19 - 34)
§C Conclusion: The external righteousness of the children of the Kingdom of Heaven (7:1 - 27)
¶C Do unto others as you want others to do unto you (7:1 - 12)
¶C Beware of false prophets and build your life on the Word of Jesus Christ (7:13 - 27)
C Chapter 1.3: The Son of David fulfilled the Old Covenant prophecies of the Messiah with miracles (8:1 - 9:34)
§U Introduction: Jesus was able to heal instantly, whether near or far away (8:1 - 13)
¶O Jesus touched a leper and healed him instantly (8:1 - 4)
¶O Jesus healed the servant of a Roman centurion from far away (8:5 - 13)
§C Body: Jesus exercised the authority and power of God over all things (8:14 - 9:17)
¶U Jesus made it difficult for his disciples to follow Him (8:14 - 23)
¶C Jesus demonstrated his authority over nature by rebuking a storm on the Sea of Galilee (8:24 - 27)
¶C Jesus demonstrated his authority over all evil spirits by casting out a legion of demons (8:28 - 9:1)
¶O Jesus rebuked the silent thoughts of the scribes, who accused Him of blasphemy (9:2 - 8)
¶O Jesus instructed the disciples of John the Baptist about the coming of the New Covenant (9:9 - 17)
§C Conclusion: Jesus fulfilled prophecies of the Messiah by raising the dead and healing the blind and the mute (9:18 - 34)
¶C Jesus raised a young girl from the dead (9:18 - 26)
¶C Jesus healed the blind and the mute (9:27 - 34)
O Chapter 1.4: The false teachers rejected the Gospel of the Kingdom from Jesus and his Apostles (9:35 - 12:50)
§U Introduction: Jesus called twelve Apostles and sent them to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven (9:35 - 11:1)
¶O Jesus called twelve of his disciples to be his Apostles (9:35 - 10:4)
¶O Jesus gave his Apostles instructions for preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven (10:5 - 11:1)
§C Body: Jesus offered the Kingdom of Heaven to the Jews, but the Pharisees rejected Him as their King (11:2 - 12:37)
¶O Jesus identified John the Baptist as the Elijah who was prophesied to prepare the way for the Messiah (11:2 - 15)
¶O Jesus called all who believed the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven to come unto Him for rest to their souls (11:16 - 30)
¶C Jesus rebuked the empty religion of the Pharisees, who then plotted to destroy Him (12:1 - 21)
¶C The Pharisees falsely claimed that Jesus was a sorcerer (12:22 - 30)
¶U The blasphemous and evil words of the Pharisees came from evil hearts of unbelief (12:31 - 37)
§C Conclusion: The unbelief of that generation would result in demonic oppression for them, but the faith of his disciples would be blessed (12:38 - 50)
¶C The unbelief of that generation would result in demonic oppression and misery for that generation and future generations (12:38 - 45)
¶C The belief and obedience of Jesus’ true disciples will be acknowledged and rewarded (12:46 - 50)
O Chapter 1.5: The false teachers had corrupted the Kingdom of Heaven, so the people could not receive the truth (13:1 - 16:12)
§U Introduction: The Old Covenant Kingdom of Heaven was corrupted by the seeds of Satan; but will be purified when Christ returns (13:1 - 52)
¶O Christ sowed good seeds into the Old Covenant Kingdom of Heaven, but it was corrupted by the seeds of Satan (13:1 - 35)
¶O The Judgment of the nations at the end of the Tribulation shall separate the righteous from the wicked forever (13:36 - 52)
§C Body: The people were attracted to the free food and healing of Jesus, but had little spiritual discernment (13:53 - 15:38)
¶U The people of Nazareth rejected Jesus as their Messiah and John the Baptist was executed by Herod (13:53 - 14:12)
¶C The multitudes were attracted to Jesus for his free food, but his disciples trusted in Him as the Son of God (14:13 - 33)
¶C The multitudes were attracted to Jesus for his miracles of healing, but the false teachers were only concerned about clean hands (14:34 - 15:20)
¶O Jesus rewarded the persistent faith of the Canaanite woman in Him after making her wait (15:21 - 28)
¶O Jesus rewarded the persistent faith of the multitude and fed them with 7 loaves of bread and a few small fish after a delay of three days in the wilderness (15:29 - 38)
§C Conclusion: Discernment of spiritual truth was lacking among both rejecters and disciples of Christ (15:39 - 16:12)
¶C Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and Sadducees for their unbelief in Him in spite of all of the miracles that He had done before them (15:39 - 16:4)
¶C Jesus rebuked the lack of understanding in his disciples concerning the evil doctrines of the Pharisees and Sadducees (15:39 - 16:4)
C Part 2: The Son of David rejected the Old Covenant Kingdom of Zion in favor of the New Covenant (16:13 - 28:20)
U Chapter 2.1: The Son of David began building the first New Covenant Assembly with his Apostles (16:13 - 20:28)
§U Introduction: Faith in Christ and denial of self are the first steps of the Christian Life (16:13 - 28)
¶O Faith in Christ brings privileges and responsibilities from God now (16:13 - 19)
¶O Denial of self now is necessary to earn eternal rewards from Christ at his Return (16:20 - 28)
§C Body: Good relationships are vital in the Christian Life (17:1 - 19:12)
¶O The disciple must have a very close relationship with Jesus the Son of God (17:1 - 8)
¶O The disciple must have a very distant relationship with Satan and his demons (17:9 - 23)
¶C The disciple must have a respectful relationship with earthly authorities (17:24 - 27)
¶C The disciple must have a forgiving relationship with other Believers (18:1 - 35)
¶U The disciple must have a committed relationship with his wife (19:1 - 12)
§C Conclusion: Rewards in the resurrection life will be the result of our relationships here on Earth (19:13 - 20:28)
¶C Rewards will be given according to the will of God and not according to our expectations (19:13 - 20:16)
¶C The best rewards will be given to those who suffer for Christ and selflessly serve others (20:17 - 28)
O Chapter 2.2: The Son of David prophesied the destruction of the Old Covenant Kingdom of Zion (20:29 - 23:39)
§U Introduction: Jesus departed from Jericho and then entered into Jerusalem in triumph (20:29 - 21:17)
¶O Jesus healed two blind men on his way out of Jericho (20:29 - 34)
¶O Jesus entered into Jerusalem in triumph and cleansed the Temple (21:1 - 17)
§C Body: The Son of David sentenced the leaders of Old Covenant Zion to death for their rebellion against God (21:18 - 22:46)
¶U Jesus cursed the barren fig tree, and encouraged his disciples to do even greater things than that by faith (21:18 - 22)
¶C The chief priests refused to acknowledge John the Baptist as a Prophet of God (21:23 - 32)
¶C The tenant farmers (the chief priests and Pharisees) rebelled against the Lord of the Vineyard (21:33 - 22:14)
¶O Jesus corrected the false teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees on taxes and the resurrection (22:15 - 33)
¶O The Pharisees could not answer the question of Christ about the Son of David (22:34 - 46)
§C Conclusion: The leaders of the Kingdom of Zion were utterly corrupt and wicked (23:1 - 39)
¶C Jesus warned the multitude to respect the position of the scribes and Pharisees, but not do their works (23:1 - 12)
¶C The scribes and Pharisees would persecute the Apostles until God destroyed the city of Jerusalem 70 A.D. (23:13 - 39)
C Chapter 2.3: The Son of David prophesied his return to establish the New Covenant Kingdom of Zion (24:1 - 25:46)
§U Introduction: The time period between the days of Christ on Earth and the destruction of the Temple (24:1 - 13)
¶O The disciples asked Jesus about the future course of human history (24:1 - 3)
¶O The time leading up to the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem (24:4 - 13)
§C Body: The Time of Christ’s Return (24:14 - 25:13)
¶O The Antichrist standing in the Holy of Holies in the Temple will start the second half of the Great Tribulation (24:14 - 22)
¶O The Great Tribulation will end with the Return of Christ in Judgment as a flash of lightening (24:23 - 28)
¶C The Time of Christ’s Return will be after the Great Tribulation (24:29 - 35)
¶C The Time of Christ’s Return cannot be known for certain (24:36 - 44)
¶U The Return of Christ will be a surprise for false Believers (24:45 - 25:13)
§C Conclusion: Christ will judge his servants and all nations after his return in glory (25:14 - 46)
¶C Christ will reward and punish his servants (25:14 - 30)
¶C Christ will reward and punish all nations (25:31 - 46)
O Chapter 2.4: The Son of David was betrayed and denied by his closest friends according to the Prophet (26:1 - 26:75)
§U Introduction: Judas conspired with the leaders of the Jews to betray Jesus for a few pieces of silver (26:1 - 19)
¶O The leaders of the Jews plotted to arrest Jesus and have Him killed (26:1 - 13)
¶O Jesus made it impossible for Judas to betray Him until after his prayer in the Garden (26:14 - 19)
§C Body: The last hours of Jesus with his disciples before his crucifixion (26:20 - 26:58)
¶U Jesus identified Judas as the traitor during the Passover meal (26:20 - 25)
¶C Jesus gave broken bread and grape juice to his disciples for the first Lord’s Table (26:26 - 29)
¶C Jesus warned his disciples that they would all deny Him that very night (26:30 - 35)
¶O The disciples slept while Jesus prayed (26:36 - 44)
¶O Jesus was betrayed by Judas and taken captive to the high priest while most of his other disciples ran away (26:45 - 58)
§C Conclusion: The Sanhedrin council of Jews falsely convicted Jesus for blasphemy and Peter denied Him (26:59 - 75)
¶C The Jews falsely convicted Jesus for blasphemy (26:59 - 68)
¶C Peter denied Jesus three times (26:69 - 75)
O Chapter 2.5: The Son of David was crucified, buried, and raised from the dead according to the Prophets (27:1 - 28:20)
§U Introduction: Judas committed suicide and Jesus refused to defend Himself before Pilate (27:1 - 14)
¶O Judas changed his mind about his act of betrayal and hung himself (27:1 - 10)
¶O Jesus refused to defend Himself before Pilate against the charges brought by the chief priests (27:11 - 14)
§C Body: Jesus Christ was crucified on a cross; died, and was buried (27:15 - 66)
¶O Pilate tried in vain to persuade the mob of Jews to release Jesus (27:15 - 25)
¶O The Roman soldiers mocked Jesus and led Him away to be crucified (27:26 - 32)
¶C The soldiers crucified Jesus and watched Him while he was mocked (27:33 - 44)
¶C After three hours of darkness, Jesus gave up the spirit (27:45 - 56)
¶U Pilate allowed the chief priests and Pharisees to secure the tomb of Jesus with a Roman guard (27:57 - 66)
§C Conclusion: The chief priests and the Risen Christ commanded to tell two competing stories about the resurrection (28:1 - 20)
¶C The chief priests and elders bribed the Roman soldiers to spread a false story about Jesus (28:1 - 15)
¶C Jesus commanded his disciples to spread the true Gospel of Christ to all nations (28:16 - 20)
A careful study of the Golden Ratio outline of Matthew down to the paragraph level shows that the purpose/theme (singular) of Matthew was to show that Jesus Christ came to the Jews as their Messiah, offered them the Kingdom of Heaven right then, if they would believe in Him. But, of course, the Jews did not do that, and so Jesus withdrew his offer of the Kingdom and created the first Assembly of Believers using the Apostles as the core of his new congregation. From there, the Book shows him preparing his Assembly for his crucifixion and resurrection. The Golden Ratio outline of Matthew shows this clearly through the Themes of the entire Book, the Themes of each Part, Chapter, Section, and Paragraph.
In short, saying that the purposes of the Book were evangelism and discipleship is giving only a teeny-tiny sip of information about what is actually in the Book of Matthew, and doesn't really tell you what Matthew is all about. In fact, this illustrates perfectly something that I have noticed recently: it is very easy to say something that is true, and yet not really be saying "the whole and correct truth".
Someone said, "The Bible is about Jesus!" Well, that statement on one level is true: the Bible is "about Jesus", but it is "about" far more than "just Jesus": the Theme of the Bible is "The Kingdom", which is why the Kingdom Study Bible is named the "Kingdom Bible" version.
The Bible is not about "King James" or "The New Century" or "The New King James" or "The New International Version" etc; it is about "The Kingdom": how it began in the Garden of Eden, how it was lost by Adam to the devil, how God replaced the Kingdom which was lost by creating the Old Covenant Kingdom of Zion using the nation of Israel, how the Jews lost their Old Covenant Kingdom and how it was temporarily replaced by the Universal Kingdom of God (not the "church" per se) where many Assemblies of Jesus Christ around the world are preaching the Gospel of Christ to bring as many souls as possible into the Kingdom of God before the Great Tribulation comes, the restoration of the Kingdom of Zion using the Jews after the Great Tribulation is complete in the future Millennial Kingdom of Jesus Christ, and the ultimate restoration of the unified Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Zion under God the Father in the "Final State" (Revelation 21).
The Bible is about the Kingdom: how it was lost, and how it will be ultimately restored; it is not just "about Jesus", although certainly the Lord Jesus Christ is the King of Zion and the only Way to Heaven, etc. But we are talking about what "the Bible" as a whole is about, not about particular "actors" in the Bible, the most important of whom is the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the Theme of the Bible.
The Golden Ratio outline of the Bible on the Division and Volume level illustrates this perfectly:
The Holy Bible, Golden Ratio Design
C Division One: History and Doctrine
O Volume 1: The Laws of the Old Covenant Kingdom of Zion
U Book 1.1 (Genesis): Jehovah chose Israel out of all nations to be his special people
C Book 1.2 (Exodus): Jehovah led Israel out of Egypt to Mount Sinai to receive his Laws
C Book 1.3 (Numbers): Jehovah led Israel to Canaan to conquer it
O Book 1.4 (Leviticus): The Laws of the Old Covenant Kingdom of Zion were given by Jehovah
O Book 1.5 (Deuteronomy): The Laws of the Old Covenant Kingdom of Zion were given by Moses
O Volume 2: The Prophets of the New Covenant Kingdom of Zion
O Book 2.1 (Minor Prophets): The Day of Judgment is coming
O Book 2.2 (Jeremiah): The Day of Judgment has arrived
C Book 2.3 (Isaiah): The Old and New Covenant Kingdoms of Zion
C Book 2.4 (Ezekiel): The Old and New Covenant Temples of Zion
U Book 2.5 (Daniel & Zechariah): The Future Kingdom and King of Zion
C Volume 3: The Past and Future History of the Kingdom of Zion
U Book 3.1 (Joshua & Judges): The Beginnings of the Old Covenant Kingdom of Zion
C Book 3.2 (Samuel): The Construction of the Old Covenant Kingdom of Zion
C Book 3.3 (Kings): The Destruction of the Old Covenant Kingdom of Zion
O Book 3.4 (Chronicles): The Pre-Exile Temple of Jehovah
O Book 3.5 (Esther -> Revelation): The Post-Exile Temples of Jehovah
C Volume 4: The Past and Future History of the King of Zion
O Book 4.1 (Matthew): The Gospel of Jesus Christ explained for Old Covenant Jews
O Book 4.2 (Luke): The Gospel of Jesus Christ explained for New Covenant Christians
C Book 4.3 (John): Jesus Christ preached the Gospel to individual Jews
C Book 4.4 (Mark): Jesus Christ preached the Gospel to crowds of Jews
U Book 4.5 (Acts): The Apostles preach the Gospel of Christ to both Jews and Gentiles
U Volume 5: The Saints of the Kingdom of God
U Book 5.1 (Hebrews & Romans): The Way into a New Covenant Relationship with Jehovah God
C Book 5.2 (Job & Proverbs): Discipline and Wisdom in the Kingdom of God
C Book 5.3 (Ecclesiastes -> 1 John): Fellowship and Works in the Kingdom of God
O Book 5.4 (1 & 2 Corinthians): The Way of Inward Spiritual Maturity
O Book 5.5 (1 Peter -> Ephesians): The Way of Outward Spiritual Warfare
C Division Two: Prayers (Psalms)
U Volume 1: The Saints of the Kingdom of Zion
O Book 1.1: The Obedient and Mature Saint
O Book 1.2: The Backsliding and Rebellious Saint
C Book 1.3: The Righteous
C Book 1.4: The Wicked
U Book 1.5: The Wise and the Foolish
C Volume 2: The Past and Future History of the King of Zion
U Book 2.1: Jehovah is the Great Helper of Israel and Creator of the Universe
C Book 2.2: Jehovah is our Righteous Judge and Deliverer
C Book 2.3: Jehovah is our Merciful Savior and Protector
O Book 2.4: Jehovah is praised by both Jews and Gentiles
O Book 2.5: Jehovah has revealed Himself to mankind through Natural and Special Revelation
C Volume 3: The Past and Future History of the Kingdom of Zion
O Book 2.1: The Beginnings of the Old Covenant Kingdom of Zion
O Book 2.2: The Golden Age of the Old Covenant Kingdom of Zion
C Book 2.3: Jehovah rejected the Old Covenant Kingdom of Zion
C Book 2.4: The Old Covenant Kingdom of Zion rejected their King
U Book 2.5: Jesus shall rule the New Covenant Kingdom of Zion when He returns in glory
The full details of how those Themes are justified are found within the sub-themes of each Volume.
There are also some extremely important differences between Wallace's outline (which is also very similar to every other outline on Matthew and all other Bible documents, no matter who the author is) and the Golden Ratio design of the Bible:
1) The Wallace outline of Matthew (which is typical of all other outlines of the Bible) is random in nature; it shows no rhyme or reason in its arrangement; and the outline content provides no real insight into the meaning of the text: in other words, it is very shallow.
2) In stark contrast, the Golden Ratio design of Matthew (and all other Bible documents) shows design, purpose, and depth of meaning. Even a cursory examination of the outline shows that there is a MIND behind the Holy Scriptures: that each document has a divine purpose that weaves beautifully into a wonderful tapestry, if you will, of Divine Truth. The themes are backed up by the text of the Bible, because they are based upon literal interpretation. In short, there is no comparison between the Golden Ratio design and all other Bible outlines.
3) In addition to the previous point, the Golden Ratio design of the Bible VERIFIES the Holy Scriptures! It provides visual verification and AUTHENTICATION of the Holy Bible as the one true Revelation of God to mankind. If you are a born-again, Bible-believing Christian, this should provide great joy to your soul, because the Bible is, and has been for many centuries, under constant assault by the enemies of Jesus Christ in almost every area: higher education (including many so-called "Christian" colleges), politics, and so on. With the Golden Ratio design, we can now point to the Holy Scriptures, and say, "See? The Bible themes and arrangement demonstrates purpose, design, and depth: something that would be impossible if it were only the amalgamated product of forty men from different cultures and ages across about 1,600 years. So it must be the Word of God, because only God could have done something so amazing!" With all other arrangements of the Bible, a Christian can say, "I BELIEVE that the Bible is the Word of God"; however, there is no visible evidence that such is the case: it cannot be proven. But with the Golden Ratio design of the Bible, a Christian can say, "I KNOW that the Bible is the Word of God, because this arrangement would be impossible without the one true God, Jehovah, guiding and moving his Prophets and Apostles in such a way that the result of their work is perfectly arranged according to a mathematical principle: the Golden Ratio." God created mathematics in the beginning of the Universe (Genesis 1:3) along with the Electromagnetic Spectrum, which includes visible. Therefore, since a well-known principle of mathematics is clearly and visibly evidence on eight vertical and horizontal levels throughout the Holy Bible, there can be no doubt whatsoever that the one true God, Jehovah, is the true Author of the Bible.
4) It DISPROVES and INVALIDATES all other religious writings: the bhagavad gita of the Hindus, the "Koran"/Quran" of Islam, the "books of Mormon", the writings of Mary Baker Eddy (Christian Science), the writings of Ellen White (Seventh-Day Adventists), the Apocrypha, the Pseudepigrapha, and many others. Why? Because they DO NOT manifest the Golden Ratio design of the Bible! I know this, because these other writings convey completely different messages than the Traditional Canon of Scripture: the Holy Bible. It is impossible for God to be inconsistent with Himself. God would not say one thing about Himself in the Word of God (the Traditional Canon), and then say something completely different and contradictory about Himself in these other writings. God cannot contradict Himself; therefore since the Traditional canon of Scripture consistently manifests the Golden Ratio design, which would be impossible unless God was behind it, and these other writings do not (and their messages about God are much different than the message of the Bible, therefore we can state and believe with confidence that the Holy Bible based on the Traditional Canon is the one true Word of God. With other arrangements of the Bible, you cannot do this.
It is also important to note that this discussion is not about "me" versus Dr. Wallace or anyone else: this is about the Golden Ratio design of the Bible versus all other outlines. The Golden Ratio design, because it is based upon literal interpretation, is from the one true God, Jehovah, who gave the words of the Bible to the Prophets and Apostles. It is true that God used me to discover it, but I did not "invent" it: it has always been in the Bible from the very beginning; we just did not know that it was there!
One other point that I want to make here, and this is extremely important: The Golden Ratio design of the Bible is not a "doctrine"; nor is it a "Gospel". If you never heard of the Golden Ratio design of the Bible, you can still be saved through repentance and faith in the Finished Work of Christ, because that is a Bible doctrine that is clearly taught in Scripture.
The Golden Ratio design of the Bible cannot save anyone; nor is it essential for salvation or obedience to the Lord in any way.
But, if you want to understand the Word of God in a depth that is impossible using Bibles that use Traditional Bible arrangements, then you must use the Golden Ratio design of the Bible! It shows you the "forest" instead of 'individual trees". It shows you the true meaning of the Word of God from top to bottom; and that is impossible using other types of outlines or arrangements of the Bible.
Now the point I'm driving at is this: the Golden Ratio Format shows us what true Bibliology is: it is the study of each Book of the Bible in detail, learning what the correct organization (format) of the text is, and what are the true Themes of each division of that format; then assembling a unified view of the Bible overall, based upon the Themes of each Book, which are based upon the Themes of each sub-division of each Book. Yes, it is an "interpretation": but it is an interpretation based upon the Bible itself, which is literal interpretation. This is the same historical, literal approach to interpretation that has been a hallmark of Fundamental, Bible-believing Christians since Christ and the Apostles.
So, what is Theology? We have just examined in detail what Bibliology really is, but what is Theology, per se?
Literally, "Theology" is "the study of God". In other words, (in the Bible-believing Christian context) it is the study of God and his dealings with man on a TOPICAL level versus a Bibliology level. The difference is crucial: for example, a study of God and his dealings with man using "Theology" would go like this:
God is a Tri-Unity of three co-equal, co-eternal, and co-powerful Persons in one God (listing of Bible verses scattered across the entire Bible to back this up)
The only Way of Salvation is through individual faith in the Finished Work of Jesus Christ on the cross (listing of Bible verses scattered across the entire Bible to back this up)
Hell is a real place where people who have not accepted and believed in the only Way of Salvation end up after their bodies die (listing of Bible verses scattered across the entire Bible to back this up)
How to be saved (listing of Bible verses scattered across the entire Bible to back this up)
Jesus was born of a Virgin (listing of Bible verses scattered across the entire Bible to back this up), and so on.
Do you see the difference between Bibliology and Theology? Bibliology is far more difficult to learn than Theology, because it involves a complete study of the Scriptures, using a correct organization of the Scriptures with accurate Themes for each Scripture text division, and all organized in a way that makes sense. The Golden Ratio format is the ultimate in the study of Bibliology, because it provides all of those things.
In Bible College and in Seminary, typically the students learn the Bible through topical theological studies, and not Bibliology. This is truly a necessary shortcoming, because they are really just getting their first taste of the Bible in a formal training environment, and teaching something like the Golden Ratio outline in a Bible college setting would probably overwhelm most of the students, if not the faculty (sadly). I know this from personal experience trying to explain the Golden Ratio design to college professors who have been teaching the Bible for decades; but instead of understanding, I see a "deer in the headlights" look.
The people who should be the most receptive to the Golden Ratio Design are the ones who have the most trouble accepting it. Why? They have been teaching the Bible using a false organization of the Bible for their entire lives, so if they accept the Golden Ratio design as true, then they would have to rethink much of what they have been teaching; and that would require too much work, from their point of view. It would be far easier for them to ignore the Golden Ratio design and continue in their old ways rather than have to admit that they have been wrong about a great many things.
They haven't been wrong about the Fundamentals of the Christian Faith (we're talking here about Independent, Fundamental Baptists); but they have been wrong in their views of how the Bible is correctly organized, which limits the correct understanding of many Bible doctrines also.
The level of detail in the Golden Ratio outlines is completely unprecedented in the history of Biblical studies, and will challenge even professors with many doctorates. But the great thing is that, because the Golden Ratio format "makes sense" once you understand how the Golden Ratio works through the UCCOO scheme, it is not difficult to master if you are willing to put forth the effort.
Do you think you could master Dr. Wallace's outline of Matthew? I couldn't, and don't want to!! It is irregular and confusing; and, it isn't right, so you shouldn't bother trying to learn it anyway (with all due respect to Dr. Wallace).
By the way, I am not attempting to exalt myself over anyone or anything: if there is anything good or meritorious about the Golden Ratio format, it is only because of the Lord Jesus Christ, and ONLY because of Him. The Lord Jesus Christ called me to this ministry, and I want to be careful to give Him all of the honor and glory.
"But “he that glories, let him glory in [Jehovah]”: for not he that commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends." (2 Corinthians 10:17-18)